A post-Grunge band not afraid to explore the darker side of human nature, Three Days Grace first made a name for themselves in their native
Canada, but their popularity has since known no boundaries. The band was formed in Norwood, Ontario, in 1997 with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and back up vocalist
Neil Sanderson and bassist and back up vocalist Brad Walst. Based on the strength of a single called “(I Hate) Everything About You,” TDG was offered a record deal by Vibe. Their self-titled debut album was released in 200
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3, by which time "(I Hate) Everything About You" was already hit on alternative radio stations in Canada and reached number one on the US Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. Their second single "
Just Like You" gave the group a second number-one in the United States and also hit number one on rock charts in Canada, making them North American sensations.
The band added
Barry Stock to help Gontier with lead guitar and went on tour to support the album. The pressures of celebrity took their toll on Gontier, however, and in 2005 he was admitted to a rehab program for addiction to prescription painkillers. While there, he wrote several songs that would form the basis for the group’s next chart topping album, One-X (2006), which reached number five on the Billboard Top 200. Three Days Grace supported One-X through the summer of 2006 on dates alongside
Staind,
Hoobastank, and
Nickelback, while "
Animal I Have Become" became a number one modern rock hit. Describing One-X Gontier says: “From front to back, the lyrics of One-X explore the different problems I had. I felt singled out. I wanted to be normal and I just wanted someone, anyone to help me. At a point, I finally came to realize that no matter how singled out I felt, there were so many others out there like me. I realized, 'okay, I’m not alone'.” TDG’s popularity proves that many fans can relate to Gontier’s feeling of isolation followed by self-acceptance. It’s a theme that the band will no doubt ride well into the new millennium.
